Former U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday assailed his successor, Donald Trump, as profoundly unfit for the office that he occupies and contended that voting for his former No. 2, Joe Biden, was crucial to guarantee the survival of American democracy.
"He has shown no interest in putting in the job; no interest in finding common ground; no interest in utilizing the awesome power of his office to assist anybody but himself and his buddies; no interest in handling the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he wants," Obama said of Trump during the night of the Democratic National Convention.
After avoiding direct criticism for most of Trump's first semester, the scathing broadsides from Obama comprised an unusually harsh evaluation of a single president by yet another - though Trump has rarely hesitated to assault Obama, frequently leveling accusations of misconduct with no evidence.
Obama blamed Trump for the 170,000 Americans who've died from the coronavirus, the millions of jobs lost to the consequent recession and the diminishment of the country's democratic principles at home and overseas.
"Donald Trump hasn't grown to the project because he can't," Obama said. "And the consequences of that failure are intense."
On Twitter, Trump responded to Obama's appearance in all capital letters, suggesting Obama's choice to endorse Biden only after his Democratic rivals dropped out signaled doubts about Biden's candidacy.
But on Wednesday, Obama delivered a full-throated endorsement of Biden and vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, stating they"actually care about every American, and they care deeply about this democracy."
Biden, 77, was officially nominated Tuesday night to take on Trump, 74, at the Nov. 3 presidential elections.
"For eight decades, Joe was the previous one in the area whenever I faced a huge decision," he said. "He left me a much better president -- and he's got the character and the expertise to make us a much better state."
For Obama and Biden, the election is an opportunity to help secure their government's heritage, including the restoration of dozens of policies on climate change and health care that Trump has systematically sought to dismantle.
The Biden effort will deploy Obama, who remains a popular figure, as a key backer during the campaign's closing months, although the coronavirus pandemic has eliminated conventional in-person events such as rallies.
Obama's speech to the virtual conference was delivered by the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, the town in which the U.S. Constitution and the country's founding democratic principles were drafted.
"The one constitutional office chosen by each one of the people is the presidency," he said. "So at a minimum, we should expect a president to feel a sense of responsibility for the security and welfare of all 330 million of us.
An emotional Obama encouraged Americans to vote, cautioning that Trump and his Republican allies can win just by curbing and undermining votes, instead of about the merits of the policies.
"Don't let them take away your power," Obama said. "Don't let them take away your democracy. Create a plan right now for how you're going to get involved and vote."
"He has shown no interest in putting in the job; no interest in finding common ground; no interest in utilizing the awesome power of his office to assist anybody but himself and his buddies; no interest in handling the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he wants," Obama said of Trump during the night of the Democratic National Convention.
After avoiding direct criticism for most of Trump's first semester, the scathing broadsides from Obama comprised an unusually harsh evaluation of a single president by yet another - though Trump has rarely hesitated to assault Obama, frequently leveling accusations of misconduct with no evidence.
Obama blamed Trump for the 170,000 Americans who've died from the coronavirus, the millions of jobs lost to the consequent recession and the diminishment of the country's democratic principles at home and overseas.
"Donald Trump hasn't grown to the project because he can't," Obama said. "And the consequences of that failure are intense."
On Twitter, Trump responded to Obama's appearance in all capital letters, suggesting Obama's choice to endorse Biden only after his Democratic rivals dropped out signaled doubts about Biden's candidacy.
But on Wednesday, Obama delivered a full-throated endorsement of Biden and vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, stating they"actually care about every American, and they care deeply about this democracy."
Biden, 77, was officially nominated Tuesday night to take on Trump, 74, at the Nov. 3 presidential elections.
"For eight decades, Joe was the previous one in the area whenever I faced a huge decision," he said. "He left me a much better president -- and he's got the character and the expertise to make us a much better state."
For Obama and Biden, the election is an opportunity to help secure their government's heritage, including the restoration of dozens of policies on climate change and health care that Trump has systematically sought to dismantle.
The Biden effort will deploy Obama, who remains a popular figure, as a key backer during the campaign's closing months, although the coronavirus pandemic has eliminated conventional in-person events such as rallies.
Obama's speech to the virtual conference was delivered by the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, the town in which the U.S. Constitution and the country's founding democratic principles were drafted.
"The one constitutional office chosen by each one of the people is the presidency," he said. "So at a minimum, we should expect a president to feel a sense of responsibility for the security and welfare of all 330 million of us.
An emotional Obama encouraged Americans to vote, cautioning that Trump and his Republican allies can win just by curbing and undermining votes, instead of about the merits of the policies.
"Don't let them take away your power," Obama said. "Don't let them take away your democracy. Create a plan right now for how you're going to get involved and vote."